Looking Back to See: A Country Music Memoir

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"The Browns - Maxine, Bonnie, and Jim Ed - are a trio of siblings that had tremendous success in the 1950s and '60s. Following in the tradition of Loretta Lynn's Coal Miner's Daughter, this memoir delves into the Browns' remarkable past, beginning with a Depression-era childhood in rural south Arkansas scarred by poverty and tragedy. From that beginning emerged a duo, Maxine and Jim Ed, who became a popular feature of Little Rock's Barnyard Frolic and, in 1954, had a Top Ten hit with "Looking Back to See." Sister Bonnie later joined them and soon they were regulars on the well-known Louisiana Hayride. They would eventually help a young Elvis Presley get started on the show and tour with him as their opening act, and it wasn't long before he became a close friend of the family." "Early mismanagement couldn't prevent the Browns' careers from soaring. The group enjoyed a long relationship with RCA, and with Chet Atkins, and later joined the Grand Ole Opry cast." The Browns were central artists in the changing sound of country and American popular music at mid-century. They were part of major changes in the entertainment business and American culture in the 1950's, participated in the growing popularity of the folk music movement in the '60s, and saw the birth of rock 'n' roll up close. Illustrated with many never-before-published photographs, Looking Back to See is a story told here for the first time.

SYNOPSIS

The Browns-Maxine, Bonnie, and Jim Ed-are a trio of siblings that had tremendous success in the 1950s and 60s. Following in the tradition of Loretta Lynn's COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER, this memoir, told in Maxine's own plucky, spirited style, delves deeply into the Browns' remarkable past, beginning with a Depression-era childhood in rural south Arkansas. From it emerged a duo, Maxine and Jim Ed, and in 1954 they had a Top Ten hit with "Looking Back to See." Sister Bonnie later joined them, and strengthened by shared experience they sang their way onto Barnyard Frolic, then the Louisiana Hayride, and on to The Ed Sullivan Show, American Bandstand, and the Grand Ole Opry.

Many other hits would follow, including their 1959 rendition of Edith Piaf's "The Three Bells," a song that not only went to the top of the country charts but spent weeks at number one on the pop charts. A vocal group without peer, The Browns were central artists in the changing sound of country and American popular music at mid-century. They were part of the folk movement of the 60s, and saw the steady birth of rock 'n roll up close as they worked with Elvis Presley and others. Illustrated with many never-before-seen photographs, LOOKING BACK TO SEE is a remarkable story told here for the first time.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

"The Browns became leading exponents of what was then developing as the 'Nashville Sound.' That sound was making musical history and increasing the popularity of country music worldwide. Maxine was right in the middle of it."  — Ralph Emery

"I am happy to have known and worked with this trio and sincerely hope you enjoy the tale. It is told with honesty and humility and in a wonderful American voice."  — Tom T. Hall

"Fascinating....She's warm, honest, gossipy, and outrageously funny....Maxine wasn't just present at the birth of rock 'n roll, she was one of its midwives."  — Edward Morris

"LOOKING BACK TO SEE is a good book. It touches my heart to hear her story and to think back to my boyhood. Her story is real." — Eddy Arnold

"The good times as well as the bad, are portrayed in this colorful book by a woman who was a participant in one of the groups that defined trio vocal harmony during country music's golden era."  — Eddie Stubbs

"Here, for the first time, is an inside look at the 'Golden Age' of country music from a woman's perspective....It's a strong book, and a vital book."  — Charles Wolfe

Bill Mack